1 of 3

The great Reformer, Martin Luther, once said that when he entered the pulpit or stood at the lectern to read, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

These days, Herr Luther might feel a little lost. Were he to preach in some contemporary churches, he might find himself sitting on a stool, microphone attached to his sweater, rather than in a traditional pulpit.

Formerly, a pulpit was an immovable, impressively large piece of furniture in a formal chancel. It was a focal point for the worshiper; a symbol of the importance of preaching the Word of God. Today, that kind of pulpit is only one of many options available to a church.

How to Buy a Pulpit
A congregation rarely goes out today and just buys a pulpit. Rather, most churches choose a pulpit that harmonizes with other furnishings, such as pews and altar furniture. "Typically, a manufacturer will work with an existing church in purchasing new altar furniture but in keeping with old pews, or the reverse," says Steve Smith of Imperial Woodworks in Waco, Texas. "So we try to harmonize as carefully as we can. When a church builds a new building, the altar furniture and pews will be bought at the same time so that everything matches."

Certainly how the pulpit fits into overall decor is as crucial in a purchasing decision as is cost. But then, so is the decision to have a pulpit at all. The trend today in churches with contemporary worship services is toward flexible space in a multipurpose structure. That way a church can move from song to drama to preaching with no disruption, since the platform has virtually no permanent furniture or furnishings.

The informal worship style is out of sync with a traditional pulpit, which is fixed to the platform and visually separates worshipers from the worship leader.

Pulpit History
Pulpits, which are associated with traditional churches today, haven't always been included in churches. In the earliest days of the church, Christians met in homes. In the Middle Ages, pulpits were installed in churches, but sermons rarely were preached out of them. More emphasis was given to the sacraments than to preaching.

The pulpit became more prominent during the Protestant Reformation, when the preaching of God's Word became the primary ingredient of worship. The pulpit became more than a place to stand or a structure on which to place notes and a Bible. It became a symbol of the authority of the Bible, the church, and the preacher.

A decision about what kind of pulpit to buy requires some theological reflection. Fred Craddock, a Disciples of Christ minister and former professor of preaching and New Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia, believes that the pulpit helps a pastor and congregation find balance and authority. "There's always been this idea in the American church that there's something a notch better if a minister moves away from the pulpit and wings it," Craddock said. "But the pulpit reminds me that I am one of a long line of people whom the church has called to preach and teach. It's a humbling thing to approach the pulpit. With no pulpit, I come on stage, and I am the center."

next page... |  1 of 3

share this page